The latest National Theatre production about to be beamed into a cinema near you is an adaptation of the 15th century morality play Everyman. And, like its predecessors, this is a treat and should not be missed.

Directed by Rufus Norris (London Road / Broken), the current Artistic Director of the National Theatre and written by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, this version is a contemporary update of the morality play which is considered a cornerstone of English drama. The term ‘everyman’ is acknowledged as being the definition of an ordinary individual whom everyone can identify with and who often finds himself caught up in strange circumstances.

This very watchable, energetic production takes a scathing look at materialism and is a grim reminder of our own mortality. It’s an updated version that sticks to the premise of the original tale in which Everyman (Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years A Slave) is about to meet his Maker, having had an encounter with Death (Dermot Crowley - Babel / Deception). He tries in vain to enlist a member of his family or one of his friends to support him in his time of need, only to discover that, in the end, he must face his reckoning alone. Some of the play’s characters are defined as Senses and Wits and are identified by categories such as Vanity, Strength, Smell, Sensuality, Sight, Touch, Taste, Conscience, etc, but they are all as hedonistic as Everyman, who is enmeshed in the material world. The opening scene is a raucous romp as they all gather at a party to celebrate Everyman’s 40th birthday and partake in an orgiastic, coke-snorting binge, beautifully illustrated by Javier De Frutos’ inventive choreography.

Ejiofor’s performance is superb as he achingly confronts his mortality. He is ably supported by the rest of the cast, particularly Kate Duchene (An Education) as God / Good Deeds, in the guise of a world-weary cleaning woman, and the aforementioned Dermot Crowley, who plays Death as a rather menacing Irishman. Everyman endeavours to progress from ignorance to knowledge and along the way, find spiritual enlightenment but it’s a case of too little, too late. As the end draws nearer and the foibles of his existence mount up, Everymen is faced with the question whether it is only as we approach death that we can begin to understand life. In this slick, 90-minute production, his dilemma is confronted head-on and leaves its audience in no doubt that we are products of our own actions.

In this day and age of the selfie-obsessed and Facebook generation, Everyman makes for a sobering reflection on what lies in store. Not surprisingly there was a thunderous applause when the lights went up and it may have been that the Brit audience was responding either way - quiet relief or a gut reaction to the dilemma which faces us all. Go and see this fine production and judge for yourself.

// SALT

Previewed at Dendy Opera Quays, Sydney, on 29 July 2015